Development of an innovative process of electrocoagulation followed by ultrafiltration for water purification
The project main goal is the development, design and production of decentralized water treatment units for the improvement of drinking water supply of remote rural regions. The presence of hazardous contaminants in underground water has been reported from different parts of India as well from other countries, and constitutes a major concern from the human health point of view mainly on remote areas where water treatment systems are not available. To overcome this problem is proposed an innovative process of electrocoagulation followed by ultrafiltration that allows the removal of contaminants such as fluoride, iron, arsenic, hardness, TDS and pathogens from drinking water. Moreover, it is also proposed the use of low cost materials for the synthesis of the membranes and for the electrodes in order to decrease the costs of the units produced. The experimental work will include experiments of electrocoagulation and ultrafiltration separately in batch mode, as well as in continuous mode in series. The influence of different operation parameters will be study, such as the effect of feed concentration, current intensity, applied voltage, inter-electrode distance, membrane pressure drop, time and temperature. The outcome of the experimental work will allow developing mathematical models for the simulation and optimization of the processes. The mathematical models to be developed will be based on the governing mechanisms of the process (thermodynamic, hydrodynamics and mass transfer), in order to be reliably and predictive of the unit performance independent of unit scale and feed compositions. Also, the study and the development of tailor made low cost ceramic membranes will be an important aspect in the improvement of the ultrafiltration step. The transnational consortium formed for this project is an equilibrated mixture of experienced researchers and prospective young scientist. Each partner of the consortium presents relevant research experience in different technological and scientific fields, namely separation and reaction processes, adsorption, membrane technology, material science, mathematical modelling and process simulation, needed for successful accomplishment of the objectives of the project.
(https://indigoprojects.eu/object/project/115)